Endless Yearning II
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《长相思·其二》

English Rendering

"The sun has set, and a mist is in the flowers;

And the moon grows very white and people sad and sleepless.

A Zhao harp has just been laid mute on its phoenix holder,

And a Shu lute begins to sound its mandarin-duck strings....

Since nobody can bear to you the burden of my song,

Would that it might follow the spring wind to Yanran Mountain.

I think of you far away, beyond the blue sky,

And my eyes that once were sparkling

Are now a well of tears.

...Oh, if ever you should doubt this aching of my heart,

Here in my bright mirror come back and look at me!"

Endless Yearning II by Li Bai (Li Po)
Endless Yearning II by Li Bai (Li Po)

Original Text (中文原文)

日色欲尽花含烟,月明如素愁不眠。

赵瑟初停凤凰柱,蜀琴欲奏鸳鸯弦。

此曲有意无人传,愿随春风寄燕然。

忆君迢迢隔青天,昔日横波目,今作流泪泉。

不信妾断肠,归来看取明镜前。

Analysis & Context

Folk-song-styled-verse

This lyric poem from the Tang dynasty, the second in the "Everlasting Longing" series, expresses a woman's profound yearning for her distant beloved. Using spring scenery as poetic inspiration, it portrays lovesickness through environmental ambiance and psychological depiction. With delicate and graceful strokes, the poet captures the loneliness and melancholy of separation, conveying deep emotional resonance.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.

Reading Between the Lines

Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.

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